Another Strange Love Song
by SinisterMarmalade
Summary: Duo is immortal? Mina chan's last name is... Kushrinada! What else will come from my diseased imagination. Well, you can only read on to find out. Chapter 6 is now up! I'm begging for reviews here! PLEASE!
1. Chapter 1

Story by SinisterMarmalade.

I own neither Sailor Moon, Gundam Wing or any other copyrights I may infringe upon.

Duo Maxwell sprinted down the corridor, shooting guards as he ran. "I must be really off today," Duo thought, "how many ways can I screw up?" As he turned a corner, his eyes perceived the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She was his own age, with long blonde hair, a slender build and blue eyes not unlike Treize's. The girl wore an Oz uniform, and was drawing a bead on him with an Oz standard issue pistol. A moment too late, Duo shook off his fascination and raised his own gun. Instead of firing, Duo felt a bullet tear through his heart, followed by two more in his left lung. "Okay," the braided pilot considered, "normal people die at this point, so the most plausible thing I can do right now is fall over and let myself appear dead."

Mina Kushrinada counted herself lucky to have survived this encounter. The dead boy at her feet had just killed twenty three other Oz personel in the course of his mission, some of them her classmates in the Academy, some of them her friends. She closed her eyes a moment, remembering her mother's motto. "Love is all," Mina whispered to herself. Although she might kill, she would never let herself be numb to it. She knew this boy, dangerous as he may be, could have family, a lover, and friends. All of whom would miss him. And just in case he didn't she would remember his face, and visit the Cherry Hill Shinto shrine later to pray for his soul. "It's too bad," she said softly to herself, "he was handsome. I wonder if he would have been my boyfriend if we met in peacetime." More Oz personel rounded the corner, including her father, Treize.

"Thank God you're all right, Mina!" Treize said as he embraced his daughter. "I thought for sure you would be dead."

Mina smiled and hugged him back. "You should have more confidence in me," she responded. "You taught me to fight, after all." After a moment, Treize released her.

"How did you survive, anyway? I'm not even sure of my own chances of success against him," the Oz leader queried.

"He hesitated for a moment, staring at me. Odd, isn't it? If he were a slave to such sentimentality, surely he shouldn't be fighting. And yet, his actions before meeting me would suggest that he is a hardened killer, and wouldn't have that problem," she mused aloud. "In any case, we can't just leave him here. Look, he's wearing a very stylized cross."

"He must be Catholic then. Very well, I'll call a priest later to read Psalms over the body. As for his hesitation, maybe he just got sloppy for a moment, or maybe you were lucky," responded Treize. Suddenly his demeanor lightened. "Tonight we're going out to dinner, anywhere you want to go. Providence has kept my daughter alive!"

From the floor, Duo listened to the entire conversation. 'So I've just been "killed" by the daughter of Treize Kushrinada, and she isn't even a very good killer! Heero's gonna be pissed.' A pair of soldiers wrapped him up in a length of white cloth and lifted him onto a stretcher. 'It's a shame, though,' he mentally mused, 'she _is_ beautiful.'

Later that night, a delicate blue haired woman entered the morgue section of the Oz base. It always saddened her to see such senseless slaughter, especially those around her daughter's age. She had agreed to work here however, because she knew that to turn away from doing her part would also be a sin. She took a deep breath and turned on the recorder.

"Subject is a young caucasian male, estimated age between fifteen and eighteen. Weight is one hundred and thirty pounds, height is five feet and six inches. Subject has violet eyes and long chestnut hair in a waist length braid."

Dr. Mizuno paused a moment, not looking forward to this part. She was going to have to lie, and ignore the gaping chest wounds in front of her. Oz required this for some obscure reason that she didn't care about, and it was one more reason for her to hate them.

"Subject has appearantly died of some form of heart failure, the cause of which I will determine through this autopsy," she said reluctantly.

Duo couldn't believe what he was hearing. 'All right doc, you don't have a camera to record this, and no one will believe you anyway,' he thought to himself.

As Dr. Mizuno approached the body with a scalpel, the corpse jumped to his feet. "I guess they'll hand a medical diploma to anyone these days, you quack!" he shouted. The good doctor froze, so Duo continued in sarcastic tones. "Heart failure was caused in the subject by THREE BIG FREAKIN' SLUGS THROUGH THE CHEST! Doctor is obviously blind as a vole to not notice that, so the corpse would suggest she hand in her practising license to pursue finger painting!" With that, Duo grabbed a nearby lab coat and exited through a window.

Dr. Mizuno possessed a core of steel that belied her outer softness. She had seen many accident victims, alive or dead, that had turned the stomachs of men who thought of her as girlish. This once, however, she let out a horrified shriek and proceeded to black out.

Mina stepped into her room in a good mood. Sure, she had to take a life today, but her father was right about one thing, she was blessed to be alive. Besides which, she never got to spend much time with him, and he had delegated his evening routine in order to have dinner with her. She had finally had a long, meaningful conversation with him about their lives, her ambitions, his intentions with Oz, and their family connection, so it was very hard for her to feel sad. As she smoothed out her covers in preparation for sleep, she made a mental note to visit her friend Rei at the Cherry Hill Shinto shrine tommorrow to pray for the soul of the poor boy she had shot. Suddenly a scream resounded from the lower levels of the base.

"Oh God," she thought with trepidation, "not a repeat of earlier. I don't want any more violence tonight!" Picking up her gun and making sure it was loaded, she ran into the hall and towards the stairs.

By the time she arrived on the scene, other Oz soldiers were trying to calm Dr. Mizuno. Mina found this odd, as she was friends with Dr. Mizuno's daughter, Ami, and knew both women were very strong inside. Mina obtained a glass of cool water and handed it to her.

"Thank you, Mina," Dr. Mizuno said as she accepted the glass and took a sip. This did seem to calm her nerves a bit.

Mina put a hand on her shoulder. "Dr. Mizuno, what could upset you like this? Do you want to tell me what's happened?"

Dr. Mizuno took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Very well, Mina, but you'll think I'm insane. All I have to collaborate my story is this tape recorder."

Elsewhere in the night, a very spry corpse made it's way back to base.


	2. Chapter 2

Story by SinisterMarmalade.

I own neither Sailor Moon or Gundam Wing, nor any other copyrights I may infringe upon.

Duo silently made his way into the mansion he shared with the others, crept up the steps, and snuck towards his bedroom. His heart sank as he noticed Heero was awake and monitoring the Oz base Duo had infiltrated on computer. Still, Duo attempted to sneak stealthily past him.

"Very sloppy," Heero commented, "and you should know better than to try and sneak past a cat."

"Cut me a break Luna-chan," Duo responded. "Besides, I found the Venus scout tonight!"

"Yes, and you were killed by her as well. I don't seem to be the only cat with claws," Heero/Luna mused. "In any case, we are willing to take a chance on you, Nephlite, because you were forgiven and could act with emotions other than hatred."

"I know, BUT IT'S DUO NOW, ASS! In any case urgkk!" Duo shouted and was cut off.

"Fine Duo, but keep in mind a cat has sensitive hearing, and shattering my eardrums tends to make me upset!" Heero snarled with his right hand around Duo's throat. His left hand was poised over Duo's face in a claw-like gesture.

From the doorway behind them, Trowa appeared and started to lift Heero off Duo. "Don't take it too hard, Duo. He does the same thing to me sometimes, and I'm his husband," An amused Trowa whispered. "In any case, there isn't a soul in the house that hasn't heard you, and I believe your old boss is on the way."

"His 'old boss' is HERE!" Wufei responded. Heero and Trowa winced at the shout as the Chinese pilot continued. "As the reincarnation of hope and a Gundam pilot, I could be called on tommorrow to perform any number of duties, for which I need my sleep. Can you tell me why you needed to assert your identity to Heero at such a volume?"

"Well, he called me Nephlite. I've reincarnated, and as a symbol of my new self, I have a different name. Also, the very name Duo Maxwell is a history of my life, commemorating both turning points and people who I cared about. So for future reference, if you get my name wrong again, you'll see my claws!" This last was directed at Heero.

Trowa shook his head and smiled. "We don't just work with you out of necessity, Duo. We are all friends here. Luna-chan, you are listening, hai?" Trowa asked. Heero nodded. "In any case, it is late, and we should all retire to bed."

Heero mumbled an apology and walked off with Trowa. Wufei turned toward his bedroom as well. "Fei-chan, would you stay the night? I won't do anything you don't ask me to," Duo pleaded.

Wufei shook his head. "I have forgiven you for my death two life-times ago, but if you remember, I am straight. Good night, Duo-chan." And with that, he made his way to bed. Trowa and Heero followed, and after a moment, so did Duo.

Mina Kushrinada, however, found sleep harder to come by. After personally seeing Dr. Mizuno home safely, she thought for a long time about the good doctor's strange story and the tape recorder that collaborated it. It was far too strange and rather unsettling. Her logical side stated there must be some solution that would make sense. Perhaps her shot had not hit as true as she had thought. Maybe the boy had passed out, and well trained paramedics as well as a brilliant and well known doctor had simply diagnosed him wrong. When there were three gaping chest wounds that spelled instant fatality. And he was conscious fifteen minutes later, and able to leave under his own power. Leaping through a window and sprinting away, if Dr. Mizuno were to be believed. Okay, so much for logic. Her suspicious side whispered to her of vampires, bionic augmentation or things equally absurd. Vampires didn't exist, and science hadn't really experimented with cybernetics except in the field of medicine. Even if someone had experimented in military cybernetics, it would take decades to make anything remotely useable in the field. She sighed, so much for logic indeed.

Sleep still would not come. She cursed the enigma of that boy. She had killed him, she knew the wound had to be fatal. She had seen people die of less before, and nobody had avoided death that had been so wounded. She knew she should be well rested for school tommorrow, but the question would not let her sleep. Who had she shot, and what was he?

The next morning found her still mentally restless and equally sleepless. When her alarm went off, she sighed, turned off the alarm, rose and dressed. Grabbing a protein shake and cereal bar to eat on the way, she resignedly left for school. After about fifteen minutes of walking, several people ran past her, shrieking and yelling. She froze, instantly alert. 'This can't be good,' she thought to herself as she sprinted ahead and assessed the situation.

Down the street, there loomed a strange fish-like creature with green scaly skin, red orbs for eyes and rows of needle sharp teeth. The arms, back and legs were adorned with fins, and the webbed hands sported nasty talons. Overall, it was around nine feet tall and while it was fairly lean, the fact that it just threw a car at her head suggested it was quite strong. It had just thrown...

"SHIT!" she yelled, jumping out of the way just in time. 'I've got to remember to get more sleep when I'm going to be facing a Roger Corman rip-off!' Mina thought to herself. She knew a pistol would be inadequate, even if she had one with her. Somehow, Mina figured the school would frown on it. Her logical side told her it was a product of her sleepless mind, that maybe she was currently asleep, but just the same, she was not willing to bet her life on it. 'And just my luck, it's charging at me,' she noted. As fleeing seemed to be the sanest course of action, Mina ran behind the nearest building and started zig-zagging around back yards. Suddenly, a tall, bishounen boy dropped down in her path. His brown hair fell over one side of his face, and the other side revealed he had emerald green eyes. She stopped and took a fighting stance. "Who are you?" She demanded.

"I am not your enemy, Mina Kushrinada. You may call me Trowa Barton, but you have known me before as Artemis." He bowed to her gracefully, so Mina relaxed her stance.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know you or any Artemis, fruitcake. Now if you know what that fish thing is or how to beat it, I'm listening," Mina responded.

"That monster is called a youma, and its appearance heralds the return of the Negaverse, just as your rebirth signals a return of hope and a second chance to create the crystal millenium. Although, hope is more like your cousin-in-law. Or he will be, if all goes well. In any case, take this wand and shout "Venus Power Make-up!" Don't ask, you don't have time," Trowa informed her, holding out a weird, sparkley wand.

Mina took the wand and laughed cynically. Okay, this was proof that her imagination had control of her, and she needed a psychiatric session. So complying couldn't hurt. "Venus Power Make-up!" She shouted, and to her utter amazement, she felt indescribable power fill her being, refreshing her body and giving her total confidence. Landing after the spinning transformation, she grinned at the monster who had stopped in its tracks. "You are one ugly son of a bitch, you know that?" she shouted at the monster, "but that's okay, your face is the least of your problems now!"

"Now shout, "Venus Love Me Whip!" Trowa whispered in her ear. She nearly slapped him, but decided to follow along for now. He did seem to know what was going on, in any case.

"Venus Love Me Whip!" Mina shouted, and energy shot from her hand and entangled the surprised fish like monster. Suddenly, a boy ran at the youma from the side with a crackling black-bladed scythe. A familiar, bishounen young man her own age. The boy slashed through the youma, cutting it cleanly in two, and the monster fell to dust. The boy kept running, and disappeared around a corner. "Wait!" Mina shouted and attempted to pursue, but the young man was long gone. She turned to Trowa, but she didn't see him either. Just a note that read, 'shout "detransformation." Mina did as the note suggested, and found herself back to normal. Just then she did a double take at her watch, and sprinted off. She was late again.


	3. Chapter 3

Story by SinisterMarmalade.

I won neither Sailor Moon nor Gundam Wing, or any other copyrights I may infringe upon.

It had been a strange morning for Mina Kushrinada. First she hadn't gotten any sleep the night before due to certain enigmas which wouldn't let her mind shut down enough for rest. Then she had to fend off an inexplicable fish monster while summoning weird powers, themselves inexplicable, that she never knew she had. Mina thought to herself she may be due for a cat scan. Also, there was that extremely strange (but very attractive) young man who had advised her of her powers. She wouldn't mind seeing him again. And then there was the other boy. She knew it was him, she had gotten a good enough look to be fairly sure. Yes, he might have a twin, but when he can survive gaping wounds through the lungs, he didn't need one. He had a crackling black scythe, so what was he, some sort of grim reaper, or a cheesy super hero? Far too many things to think about. As a result, she nearly missed her name when called for attendance.

"Here!" Mina shouted, standing to attention. Then her gaze focused on the new students standing at one side of the teacher's desk.

"It is time to introduce some new classmates who have just transferred here to the Peacecraft Academy. Please welcome Heero Yui, Quatre Raberba Winner, Wu Fei Chang, Trowa Barton and Duo Maxwell," Ms. Haruna announced. The first boy had unruly dark brown hair and cobalt blue eyes that promised a swift death to anyone who would annoy him. The second young man was a boyish blonde with very friendly features and a smile that came easily to his face. The third person was a tightly muscled chinese teenager with black hair pulled back in a tight ponytail that reminded her of a ballerina, and come to think of it, so did his stance. Fourth down the row was the bishounen young man whose advice had saved her from the... what was it he said, youma? And wearing a smirk on his face at the end of the row, was her enigma. The boy she had murdered the night before, but not dead enough to stop from leaving under his own power fifteen minutes later. The same one who had killed the monster with his scythe. She didn't know what to think. Suddenly her friend Rei leaned over to her.

"Mina-chan, it seems we have gained some very handsome new classmates," the Shinto priestess remarked. "I wonder if any of them will have the courage to ask me out?" The fact that Rei Hino was a close friend of hers may be considered odd, as her father, Ambassador Hino, certainly held no love for Treize Kushrinada. Mina could have chalked it up to a daughter's rebelliousness, but she knew the raven-haired beauty much better than that. For one thing Rei was a staunch and honest friend, fiercely devoted to those whom she had chosen to let into her life, and for another Mina knew Rei held no respect for a father that had abandoned her for his political gains.

"Will it matter, Rei-chan?" Mina asked in response. Rei was famous for rejecting proposals that would leave other girls weak in the knees. Part of the reason was that so many young men would profess feelings of love without knowing her at all, and part of it was that an early failed relationship had made her somewhat wary. In any case, Mina knew she wouldn't mind having all those proposals herself.

"It may, Mina-chan. Too many men give up after one rejection. If I date someone, I want them to have stamina."

Mina saw her opening. Feigning complete innocence, she turned to her friend. "Rei-chan, why would stamina be so important? What do you intend to do with these boys?" Rei reddened and began to sputter. Mina let out a giggle.

"Miss Kushrinada, Miss Hino. As the daughters of two well respected diplomats, I would expect better from you than simple gossiping and giggling. As you are generally my top students, I am quite surprised at such behavior. Go stand in the hallway!" Miss Haruno commanded.

"Hai," the two girls responded in unison, looking down in embarrassment. As Mina followed her friend out the door, she could feel the eyes of her enigma burning into the back of her neck.

It was a very long day for Mina. She had been made to stand in the hall, written up for being late, and in addition her mystery guy kept playing on her mind. Whenever she stole a glance at him, she caught him looking away quickly. Oddly enough, none of the new students seemed to have any nervous issues or trouble fitting in.

Heero, Wufei and Trowa just concentrated on their studies to the exclusion of all else, or that seemed to be the case. The more she observed them, the more she felt they were aware of everyone in the room and were constantly assessing the threat level of each person. It clicked in her head that they had to be soldiers, as only military training could teach them to be so casually on edge.

Quatre Raberba Winner was another mystery all in himself. Mina knew him from diplomatic circles, had even spoken to him on a couple occasions. When they were young children Quatre was the most insensitive prick she had ever met. Two months ago, however, he was nothing but a perfect gentleman and quite pleasant to be around. Not only did he dominate the room, he used his personal charisma to create an atmosphere of friendly relaxation. She also knew Rei avoided him for some reason, and that she never cared to explain why. Now he was a part of the strange events surrounding her since last night, even if by association. No, he had always been intelligent and wouldn't fall into this group by accident. She was confident Quatre had enough control over his own destiny that his being here with them was not left to chance.

Finally, her enigma seemed to be enjoying himself. He passed a note to an empty headed blonde girl she knew, and it clearly made her blush and smile. He flirted, he whispered jokes to his friends (who seemed for the most part to ignore this), and he managed to tie Quatre's shoe laces together. Even when Ms. Haruno raised her voice to him to quiet him down, he placated her instantly by calling her his 'cute teacher.'

Finally at the end of a long day, the last bell rang and Mina was determined to confront this braided boy and get to the bottom of things. When she approached, however, Quatre stood to intercept her. He bowed, and then fell over, landing on her. "Oh my!" he exclaimed, standing quickly, then falling backward. "What in the name...?"

"Your friend Duo seems to have tied your shoelaces together," explained Mina helpfully. Quatre glared at Duo, but was coldly silent as he disentangled his footwear. Standing up again, he plastered a new smile on his mug and handed her an envelope. "It is useless to pretend that you do not have questions, so please accept this invitation for Miss Hino and yourself to my house for dinner at six o'clock. This will be fairly informal, as it is Duo's turn to cook."

"Hey!" responded Duo, "I seem to remember you drew kitchen duty tonight, buddy!"

"Yes, but that was before your little joke. Now it is your turn, Duo." Quatre returned his attention to Mina. "As it turns out, Duo has excellent recipes for meatloaf and o'gratin potatoes, not to mention his blueberry cobbler. All of which he is preparing tonight."

"Hey! I never agreed to a menu!" Duo protested. Mina smiled at Quatre and ignored Duo's yelling.

"I would be quite pleased to attend this informal dinner, although I am not certain as to Rei-san's availability.I am looking forward to sampling your cooking, Mr. Maxwell." She nodded to each of them in turn. From twenty feet away, Rei Hino turned away from them and tossed her hair.

"Thank you, Miss Kushrinada. We will be happy to see you there," returned Quatre politely.

Mina sped her pace to catch up to Rei. "Hey," she exclaimed, "I know you don't like him but did you have to leave me in the lurch?"

"Since you had already volunteered yourself to attend his evening meal, I felt no need to allow myself to be dragged in," Rei responded.

"Can I talk to you about something important?" Mina asked quietly. Rei turned to her, suddenly concerned.

"Of course, Mina-chan, what is wrong?"

"I need you to keep an open mind for what I'm about to tell you. Some of this is going to sound absurd." Mina launched into a retelling of events leading from the previous day to now. When she was done, Rei squeezed her shoulder and looked into her eyes.

"Very well, Mina, it seems we have a dinner date with Mr. Winner."


	4. Chapter 4

Hello once again. I own neither Gundam Wing nor Sailor Moon. On with the show.

Another Strange Love Song: Part Four

Haruka Tenoh had been watching each of the girls who would become inner senshi for three years straight now, alongside her lover, Michiru Kioah. When they had a moment all to themselves, they enjoyed spending it making love, or just holding eachother tightly, or perhaps on a date. Right now, the two outer senshi were in a heated debate.

"Michi-chan, this car is a classic! A 1970 Ford Torino Cobra, with the 429 Cobra Jet V8! How could you turn up your nose at a car like this?" Haruka asked in genuine shock. The object of her affection (other than Michiru) was deep red with a matte black hood, had Magnum 500 wheels and a four speed toploader manual transmission. Michiru raised an eyebrow in response, but Haruka continued her plea. "450 ft./lbs of torque! Trucks don't have that much! Four hundred and ten horsepower, and it might be more than that! Rivaled only by such cars as the Chevelle SS 454 LS6 or a Road Runner Hem..." Michiru followed her lover's gaze to another part of the specialist car lot, and tensed up, preparing for battle.

"OH MY GOD!!! A 1969 Road Runner Hemi! With a pistol grip stick shift! Michi-chan, you have to come see this one!" Michiru rubbed her temples, praying for aspirin.

The Winner mansion was bustling with activity. Duo busied himself in the kitchen, racing so he could time the cooking of each dish perfectly. He knew the blueberry cobbler could cook during dinner, so he wasn't worried there. The meat loaf would have to cook longest, so it had to be ready first. The o'gratin potatoes would go in the same oven during the cooking process, and the green beans he would cook on the stovetop. It was Rashid's job to make sure Duo had everything he needed, and then to stay out of the way. It was not common knowledge outside the mansion, but Duo had gone through the painstaking process of learning to make palatable, and eventually quite good food, with the help of the other pilots. Now he took pride in his culinary creations, and as each pilot tended to do, specialized in food from his home country. Or as Duo put it, 'soul food.' Quatre liked the description, and the idea it invoked.

For his part, Quatre had the magaunac busy cleaning, which perplexed them this time. After all, Quatre himself had already cleaned everything at least twice over before they could get to it, and still insisted that the house was a mess. Heero and Trowa locked themselves away in their room with the excuse of 'trying to locate more scouts.' Wufei attempted to avoid the household altogether by going to his stone garden to meditate. When that didn't work because the chi from the rest of the house was too frantic, he hopped on his motorcycle and went off to his favorite book store, 'Various Imaginings.'

Upon entering the oddly named business, Wufei breathed in the scent of new print from the front of the shop mixed with antique paper from the back. He smiled at the old man behind the desk, a friend of his named Alfred, and headed to the older works, where he often enjoyed searching for lost genius. He was surprised to find a girl there with short blue hair as most people stayed in the front of the shop and he almost always had this section to himself. He smiled and passed her, going deeper into the archives. Her name was Ami Mizuno, and her eyes followed him as he passed her. She blushed at the thought, but she had to admit he was well built. Just then his chi warned him to tackle the young girl to the ground. She shrieked as sharp paper slashed through the air just over them. The flying print coalesced into a man-like form several feet away, and started to laugh evilly. Wufei stood and pulled the girl behind him.

"I am Wufei Chang, last of the Chang clan! As the Guardian of the Earth, and the Knight of Hope I shall vanquish you, demon-spawn youma!" Wufei bellowed. Alfred ran back towards the commotion, then turned and ran back. Wufei's body flashed once, and suddenly he was wearing knightly armor, with his family sword at his side. Ami took all of this in, then stepped forward and sprayed the monster with mace. The paper being laughed again.

"Um, while you are brave, that won't actually do very much," Wufei informed her.

"I won't just stand here and do nothing! That thing is using the literary works of mankind to...to... well it's made of the literary works of mankind!" she said, fuming. Wufei grinned, noting that she was angry, not scared. "In any case, I can't stay out of this!"

"Run around behind the youma. I will attack from the front!" the chinese teenager commanded. The girl nodded, then started running. Wufei let out an ancient war cry and charged the being full force. "In the name of my ancestors and written languages everywhere, I will KILL YOU!" The youma swung at his head, while Wufei ducked and brought the sword up in an upward slashing motion. Jumping over it's next attack, he spied the blue haired girl directly behind it. He reached into a back pocket, letting his hand choose which wand with instinct, and tossed a blue henshin stick to the girl. "Yell 'Mercury Power Make-Up!"" he yelled to her without further explanation. She sighed, shrugged, and complied.

"Mercury Power Make-Up!" echoed from Ami's lips, and suddenly she felt power surge through her like she had never felt before. It tingled through her being as if every part of her had been asleep for years, and was only now awakening to any true potential. She watched her handsome savior fight against the monster in melee combat, then attempted to form her new power into an attack.

"Mercury...Ice...Bubbles!" she shouted, deep in concentration. The two combatants were both engulfed in a blue cloud of fog, appearantly semi-clear to Ami and Wufei, but opaque to their youma opponent. Wufei concentrated significant amounts of chi into his blade, then slashed it through the monster's body, form head to toe. Paper flew in all directions, and then there was just the silence of them both breathing hard. Wufei's clothes changed back to normal, and for the first time Ami noticed how short her new skirt was. She turned a deep red and covered herself. Wufei turned away quickly to reduce her embarrassment.

"Er, shout 'detransformation,'" he told her, and she did so.

"What is going on! I am not on drugs, and I'm quite sure the hardest of substances could not account for THIS!" she gestured to the obliterated prose around them. "I demand to know what all of this is about!"

"I am Wufei Chang..." he started.

"Yes, 'Wufei Chang, last of the Chang clan, Guardian of the Earth and the Knight of Hope! Now what does all this mean?" Ami asked him, then stopped. "I suppose I have been rude. I am Ami Mizuno."

"I will be happy to tell you all about what is going on, with the help of my friends who are also involved." Wufei sighed. "Get on the back of my motorcycle, you will have dinner with us."

After a long day, Haruka and Michiru pulled up to their mansion in a powder blue 1965 Ford Mustang Convertible, with an automatic transmission. The interior of the car was white vinyl, as was the top which was currently down. Haruka had to admit that it was a very pretty car, well suited to speed limit cruising. Michiru insisted it was faster than they needed it to be, but she was satisfied just the same.

"Haruka, my love, I feel like taking a long, relaxing bath. And I feel like sharing such a bath with you," Michiru purred, looking Haruka up and down.

Haruka smiled back. "I'll be there in a minute, love. I just need to make a phone call first." The senshi of Uranus watched her lover walk into the house and close the door behind her, then quickly she dialed the specialist lot the two of them were just at. "Listen, if I promise to buy the Torino Cobra, will you open tommorrow an hour early? Yeah, I just bought the Mustang, ye... no, sure I like Mustangs, just generally with larger engines than the 260. Well, the 'squemish girl' will be out shopping tommorrow so I'll just come by then, she'll be happy to have a back up in case we have to fix one... okay, thanks!" Haruka hung up the phone and prepared to enjoy a private bath with her girlfriend.


	5. Chapter 5

Story by SinisterMarmalade.

As always, I intend no disrespect, infringement, nor profit from either Gundam Wing or Sailor Moon, nor from any other copyrights I may use in my works. On with the show.

Another Strange Love Song: Part Five

Quatre emerged from his room having spent two hours preparing himself for the evening. He wore a powder blue henley with the top two buttons open, the shirt hanging on him casually (an effect that took half an hour to achieve), with dark tan khakis that cost as much as a new car. Everything about him screamed 'preened and nervous like a prom date', but of course no one could tell him that. He descended the stairs and inspected Heero's outfit. A white button down shirt and black dress pants. "Adequate, but with little thought," the blonde pilot mused to himself. Moving on, he went into the kitchen and was nearly ordered out by Duo, who could be credited with his fervor in making sure the dinner portion of the evening would go smoothly. Quatre was shocked, however, to see Duo attired in an apron that read "Iron Chef Hell" in bloody red print.

"Duo, I hope you will not present dinner to our guests in such an... apron!" he shouted.

"Relax, Q-bean, I've got it covered. I can get up to my room by a secret tunnel your ancestors appearantly had installed that goes straight to the upstairs hallway, and in my room I have laid out a pair of dress pants and a nice sweater. I'm sure your lordship will approve," Duo assured him, bowing dramatically. Quatre went up and took a look in Duo's room, and decided that what Duo had chosen was appropriate.

After that he went searching for Trowa, and found him reading a book in the sitting room. "Hmm, dressy blue jeans, brown Rockports, and a burgundy sweater. Not good enough," Quatre decided.

"Excuse me, Trowa, could I have a moment of your time?" Quatre asked him. The uni-bang pilot looked up from his reading.

"Of course," he responded. Quatre plunged ahead.

"I don't mean to nitpick, but your attire for this evening is inappropriate." Trowa almost choked.

"W-what?" asked a surprised Trowa.

"Well, while I realize that you have made an effort to balance a semi-dressy style with a casually graceful attitude, I'm sorry to say that you have failed, and I would like you to go and correct your attire, perhaps with my supervision," Quatre explained helpfully. Trowa looked at him in shock, then chuckled.

"You're micro-managing."

"I am not, I simply want nothing to go wrong with this evening."

"You are, and if I was not your friend, I might be quite offended at your current lack of consideration."

Quatre regarded Trowa for a second. It was possibly true that he might take extra precautions to ensure that Mina, and especially Rei, were well received and had no complaints. But it was not unreasonable that as master of the Winner household he may have authority over what was appropriate attire on a special occasion and that he could be expected to enforce it. The real trouble began when Quatre said all of this to Trowa with a straight face.

Trowa looked Quatre in the eyes, and explained that the reason he had not just broken the blonde pilot's nose and portions of his face was that in his own way, Trowa was feeling compassionate and that a bloody outfit might dampen the evening. Quatre was, of course, invited to fuck himself and whatever high horse he may be riding to the ball as Trowa chose to go out for the evening. Quatre stood in shock as Trowa walked past him to the garage, and left. Just then the sound of a familiar motorcycle could be heard pulling in. Quatre dashed outside and stopped.

Wufei Chang disembarked from the distinctive bike and helped a blushing blue haired girl to do the same. Wufei wore a white tank top with a dragon design wrapped around it with his normal black hakama, and the girl, while pretty, was attired simply in a white and blue school uniform. Clearly, this would not do at all, not when the girls were supposed to arrive in an hour. Quatre cleared his throat and approached.

"Hello, Wufei, I'm glad I caught you before the real start of this evening. And who, may I inquire, is your friend?" he asked with an instant smile.

"Ah, I apologize for this unforeseen circumstance. Ami Mizuno-san, this is Quatre Raberba Winner, one of my friends I mentioned earlier. Quatre, this is Ami-san, and it would appear that she is also Sailor Mercury," Wufei said. "I believe that since we will have two other senshi over anyway, that I should also invite Ami-san to hear our explanation."

Quatre took a deep breath. "Of course, Wufei. I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Ami-san. Welcome to my home. I am holding a casual dinner tonight for two other girls who have just learned that they have powers similar to yours, and I see no reason that you should not attend as well. Please accept a place at my table tonight." Ami blushed and nodded her consent, as words seemed to fail her.

"I would also like to show you to one of my sister's rooms, as I'm sure Serena wouldn't mind you borrowing something formal to wear to dinner tonight. I can send up one of my female servants to attend you, perhaps Rashid's daughter," the blonde pilot continued, steering her inside. Ami followed along, noting that while this one was polite he was certainly a bit pushy as well. This behavior did not escape Wufei's attention, either. He followed the two inside, addressing Quatre once they were alone.

"This is unusual for you, Winner. Normally you do not take such an interest in the doings of others."

"Perhaps, but needless to say, this evening is very important to me and I want nothing to go wrong."

"That may be the case, but I would warn you of the possibility of your driving people away with a tyrannical attitude."

Quatre sighed. "Hai, I may have been a bit over the top, especially with Trowa."

"Hai?" Wufei inquired.

"Yes. It seems, in my zeal, that some unfortunate words were exchanged between us, and now he has left to go out for the evening. I was really hoping to have his help with this."

"What did you say to him? What did you two argue about?"

"I told him that his almost acceptable wardrobe for the evening was not adequate, and that he should go change." Wufei leveled a deadpan look at Quatre, and handed him a phone. Quatre sighed, and started dialing.

As Wufei descended the stairs in a traditional white Chinese shirt and matching pants, Trowa walked in the door, alighting upon a comfy chair and pointedly not looking at Quatre. "Is this okay?" a shy voice came from the top of the stairs.

Ami stood there in a powder blue dress, pearl necklace and high heels. With her innocent face and shy demeanor, she was stunning. Wufei smiled. "You look quite charming," he told her. Ami blushed.

"Whoah, I didn't know we'd be entertaining another guest, especially such a cute one," Duo proclaimed walking up behind her. Ami blushed deeper, looking like she might hyperventilate. Trowa appoached her gently, and extended his hand.

"Please allow me to escort you to the dinner table," he intoned. Ami accepted, wondering just how she ended up in such a happily embarrasing situation.


	6. Chapter 6

Story by SinisterMarmalade.

A special thanks to Moonbunny 777 for my first four reviews. I would say you inspired me to write more. I would also like to thank Song Hai for additional encouragement and MissScarlette for her good advice. Thank you all very much, and thanks to all who read my works.

As always, I intend neither disrespect, infringement nor profit of the intellectual properties mentioned herein. On with the show.

Another Strange Love Song: Part Six

Mina pulled up to the Cherry Hill Temple Shrine in a new Miata convertible painted Stormy Blue Mica. While she liked yellow, this color appealed to her in a calm, cool and soothing sense. The balance of cute and sexy in the car's design didn't hurt either. She herself was attired in a yellow sundress that contrasted well with the car's color scheme. Mina reflected to herself that in the height of summer a woman could look formal and still be dressed for the heat, while men generally couldn't get away with formal shorts past elementary school. She dialed Rei's cell phone, then hung up immediately as the aforementioned priestess descended the stairs. She wore a lavender dress with high heels, carrying herself with perfect grace down the long flight of narrow steps from the temple to the driveway. From her car she marveled at how Rei could do that when Mina herself would have tripped twice on the way down. Even when the moment was interrupted by the belated ringtone from Rei's purse the rhythm of her movement continued fluidly. It was almost like music how Rei incorporated the new discord into the overarcing dance and made them fit. The priestess glanced at the offending device and glared in Mina's direction. Her blonde friend, however, had to giggle as the ringtone was the 'Pioneer' theme from Tenchi Muyo. Despite her well ingrained mannerisms, Rei was otaku and failed to hide it.

"You have no patience, Mina-chan," Rei said as she climbed into the car.

"And you have a crush on, let me see, at least seven different anime bishounen. At last count anyway," Mina responded. Rei blushed, and Mina giggled. "Don't worry about it too much, I'd crush on Keiichi Morisato too. Such a nice guy..."

"We should make haste to our appointment. I do not want to drag out this evening any more than we have to," the brunette priestess interrupted, tossing her hair as she spoke.

"Now what I wonder is why you have a plushie of Dark Schneider. What does that say about you, Rei, and should I be worried?"

"Minaaa..." Rei growled as Mina laughed aloud. The blonde put the car in gear and they drove off to their scheduled dinner.

At the Winner mansion Trowa sat next to Ami at the table as Duo watched Rashid bustle in the kitchen (Quatre wouldn't let Duo carry the food to the table after he had changed into his formal attire). Heero leaned nearby, radiating impatience, while Quatre kept himself busy going over last minute details and Wu Fei attempted to hide away in his room with an old book he had managed to save entitled "Cat's Cradle."

Rei thought back to when she first heard of Quatre Raberba Winner. The second emotion connected with him was indignant rage. The first was betrayal.

"I can't believe you would do this!" A young raven haired girl screamed. An open hand swiftly came across her face, leaving an angry red mark, her father's disapproval. As a well respected and ambitious diplomat, he had already sacrificed her mother's will to his own, the fire he married her for long ago gone cold. Later her life would follow, destroyed in assassination as a message her father would only care about as it applied to his goals. In the meantime, he would not have his carefully constructed plans disrupted by a disobedient daughter.

"You will marry this boy. I am sorry if you don't like the idea, but as a child of my blood and a woman of such high standing, you will acquiesce. In time you will come to care for him, and bear him children. This arrangement was made before either of you were born that you two will be married when you are each eighteen years old. We will soon be going to meet him and his father. You can console yourself with the fact you won't need to worry about your marriage for another twelve years." Her father, almost faceless in her memory by now, knelt down to her level and stared into her eyes. "Despite your youth, you will act as a proper woman of august character. You will not embarass me." Rei, ever her own girl, stuck her tongue out at him and raspberried. Again, his hand violently flew across her face.

"Maid, see that make-up is applied to cover any marks on her face. She will look perfect for her future husband. Rei, I'm sure Mr. Winner will be equally surprised as you. I expect, however, that he will respond with proper grace, something you have yet to learn." Her father left the room, the sound of hard leather soles echoed in the expansive hallway.

Words flitted through her mind, 'Things will be alright Rei-chan. None of this unpleasantness will matter, and you will just move forward with your life.' Her mother's voice had drifted away from her memory. A blank mannequin turned away and ascended the stairs. It was ironic that she remembered her father better just because he was belligerent and her mother wasn't.

Rei remembered the party. To indulge the young fiancees, the grounds outside the Winner estate were decorated with balloons and cheerful colors on everything. It was a waste as neither of them seemed to notice the lighter mood. Rei took it as a good sign, however, that Quatre had a little make-up on the side of his face as well, a mark of free thinking rebellion. Drawing him aside, she attempted to make conversation.

"I see this doesn't suit you either. I am Rei Hino," she said with a smile, bowing formally. The young boy looked back at her with a bored expression.

"It doesn't really matter what we think of this. It is simply another meaningless act. In any case, there is no reason to attempt to be friends as we clearly do not relish the thought of spending our lives together."

Rei glared back at him. "I understand that you must be upset, but don't take your anger out on me! I'm not forcing you to marry anyone!"

"Hm. This excercise in controlled civility is a failure, I see. I suppose you should not be so upset, as I imagine any marriage involving a shrew like you could only come about if it were forced," Quatre replied nonchalantly. At this point everyone was watching the two youngsters interact, but neither of them seemed to notice. Rei's face was red with suppressed rage. Quatre smirked.

"I am sorry to say that you have none of the qualities that I was assured in a future wife. I suppose you should pay closer attention to your mother, who at leas..."

SMACK!

The sound reverberated in the air, seeming to hang longer than was actually possible. Rei knew it must have hurt severely, as even her hand was sore and red. The side of Quatre's face looked more as if he had been badly sunburned but in a hand shaped pattern. Still, he had deserved it.

It was as if sound and movement started back up from a pause in film. Rei's father took her roughly by the hand and pulled her to their car, apologizing to Quatre's father on the way. When they were safely back at her parent's home (she never really thought of it as hers) she recieved the most severe beating from her father she had ever experienced. Just the same, she knew if history repeated itself, she would not have changed any of her actions.

"We're here!" exclaimed Mina excitedly. Rei snapped out of her reverie and stretched. She did not look forward to this.


	7. Chapter 7

Story by SinisterMarmalade.

As always, I intend neither infringement, disrespect nor profit from any of the source materials nor their authors.

I would like to apologize for the extreme tardiness of this chapter. First I started going back to earlier stories (something I will continue to do but not to the exclusion of this one) and more recently my internet connection was severed for a time due to a battle with a nasty malware computer virus. As a word of warning to all my readers, Dr. Anti-Spy is not virus protection, it is itself a virus and like all of it's ilk, the virus is designed to be extremely difficult to get rid of. I've basically had to perform an uninstall/reinstall just to get my computer back. Am I upset? Yeah, maybe a tad. But to all my loyal readers (as well as any new readers I may pick up along the way), learn from my error that you don't repeat my mistakes. And now, on with the show!

Another Strange Love Song: Part Seven

The weathered brass button for the doorbell felt cool under Mina's finger. The door in front of her was made of solid oak, sturdy under the weight of generations and sporting a color like honey with a sunlit glow. The ingraved image of a dove was inlaid in aged bronze, a symbol of the Winner family's devotion to pacifism. The structure itself was made from solid granite blocks in an off white color with random flecks of black and dark brown for the first floor, then white stucco above that. The windows were large and picturesque, and the left wing included some stained glass examples possibly saved from an old church. From nearby gardens came the scent of chrysanthemums and daylilies, mixed with honeysuckle vines climbing up cedar lattices that stretched to the roof. From Mina's perspective, the house's exterior was alive and comforting like a Grandmother who is always happy to see you. She smiled and took this feeling to be a good omen. Rei could see that her friend fit into this scene like a part of the grounds, but the priestess herself felt like a black X painted across a Da Vinci. No matter how positive Mina felt, Rei wasn't going to enjoy this.

The door opened and there stood her worst memory; Quatre Raberba Winner. Mina smiled at his greeting, and allowed herself to be drawn into a moment of small talk. Rei turned and flipped her hair in annoyance. Soon she would have to do the etiquette dance as well, and few people suspected how much it was against her very ethics. To Rei's way of thinking, politeness was a lie when you didn't mean it, and one should always be honest. In a matter of moments, Mina stepped aside and Quatre approached the priestess.

Quatre smiled. "Hello Rei-san, and welcome to my home. It is a pleasure to see you once again," he said, bowing formally. Rei smiled in a polite fashion, keeping her eyes purposefully cold. She bowed back in a traditional Japanese manner.

"Hello, Quatre-san," she replied automatically. "You have a lovely home." Mina rolled her eyes at her friend from behind Quatre's back, but the Shinto priestess didn't respond. Quatre invited them in, and the girls stepped past him into the mansion proper. Their host closed the door behind them.

"Allow me to show you the grounds after dinner," Quatre offered.

"I believe after dinner you said you would clear up the confusion you have caused my friend Mina," responded Rei.

"Of course. But afterward, if you two would like to stay longer, I could point out the stone garden that my friend Wu Fei helped me set up, as well as the rennaisance art collection upstairs. If I could I would also interest you both in..."

"Forgive me, Quatre, but I am quite eager to clear up the mysteries we have found ourselves engaged in, and as for myself there are evening duties I will need to attend to after your presentation," Rei interjected again. The trio was approached by a large magaunac, formally attired.

"Master Quatre, honored guests, dinner is served."

"Thank you, Habib. Please let me escort you to the dining table."

As the girls approached the dining room, Mina's senses were engulfed by the smell of a home made dinner, making the house even more inviting. "Mmm, that smells wonderful," she remarked. Quatre smiled at her.

"The compliment should be directed to my friend Duo, as he is the one who prepared dinner tonight."

"Not one of your professional chefs, then?" Rei asked.

"I find food to be more... pleasing somehow, when it's made by a friend," Quatre replied. The smell grew stronger as they entered the dining room. A long rectangular table stretched before them, looking as if it were intricately carved from a single tree of white oak. The floor was hardwood, honey maple in hue. The west facing wall was almost entirely one large sectioned window. The other walls were sponge painted in off-white with a ceiling to match. Sitting at the table were the four boys Quatre had been with at school, along with a girl their age whom neither of them had seen before. She sat between Trowa and Duo at the table, blushing profusely while Duo attempted to flirt with her and Trowa drew her into conversation. Farther up the table was Wu Fei who looked up at the approaching girls and nodded, and Heero who remained aloof. Mina walked over briskly and alighted next to Duo, which drew his attention away from the blue haired girl. Quatre pulled out a chair next to the head of the table for Rei, but she pretended not to notice and sat next to Wu Fei. Soon plates of delicious food were brought before each of them. While Rei was not familiar with this particular style of cuisine, she had to admit it was quite palatable. Before she was aware that time had passed, her plate was empty and her stomach was full. She hid a quieted burp behind a napkin, pretending to dab the corner of her mouth. Her friend Mina stretched languidly, which drew the stares of at least two of the boys. 'Leave it to Mina-chan to make such a display and not even know,' Rei thought to herself. She cleared her throat and stood up.

"This has been a lovely dinner you have presented us with, Quatre-san, and I would congradulate Duo-san on his talents in this area," so saying she nodded to Duo who smiled at the compliment. Rei turned slightly in his direction. "But more amazing still, if rumor is to be believed, is Duo-san's talent to survive several mortal gunshot wounds and dash away as if uninjured." Quatre opened his mouth to speak, but Duo beat him to it.

"Heh, it's always nice to have a girl interested in me," he replied with a grin. Rei blushed slightly, and Duo continued. "The problem is, you may not like me at all after you know who I am, and who each of you truly are."

"Enough riddles!" demanded the raven haired shinto priestess. "You have dodged these questions for too long already! Mina and I have come here in the understanding that you would reveal to us exactly what is going on, and I will not be denied an answer!"

"Very well, Rei-san, Mina-san. It is indeed time to make good on our promise of a presentation," said Quatre. Maguanac appeared and cleared away the plates. When they had finished and dispersed, Quatre stood up and his presence gave him more stature than mere size suggested. "It may surprise you to know, that I am responsible for your deaths in your last respective lifetimes," he began.


End file.
